The age of meaninglessness

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the podcast.

Today, I want to discuss something that's been on my mind for a while. It relates to my recent decision to leave social media. One of the reasons behind this was that I felt my way of thinking was being influenced by the need to produce content in very specific formats. I realized that, over time, this could harm my creative process. So, I want to break down my thoughts on this, hoping to make it understandable to others.

Initially, I considered putting this out as a public video, but then I realized that not everyone might resonate with it. Instead, I’m sharing it here, knowing that many of my subscribers are creators themselves and will likely understand what I’m saying.

Think of it this way: if you’re a creator—a writer, painter, filmmaker, musician, songwriter, or podcaster—you naturally think in terms of the medium you use to convey your message. For example, a filmmaker who has an idea will start thinking in cinematic terms, translating that idea into visuals before expressing it. A writer will seek the best words to convey the idea, while a painter will think about colors and painting styles. And this applies to every creative field.

In essence, the medium we’re used to can shape how we think about and express our ideas. The reason I left social media was that my mode of thinking was adapting itself to fit the formats commonly used on those platforms—like short videos on a mobile phone, often with the camera pointed at my face, cramming complex ideas into just 60 seconds.

This led to a shift: my brain was starting to force ideas into a format that wasn’t always suitable. Some ideas just don’t fit certain formats. Sometimes, a filmmaker’s idea should be written down first; sometimes, a writer's idea might be best suited for film. But social media compels us to think in constrained formats, whether or not they fit the ideas we have.

And here’s where social media adds a new layer: as creators and consumers, we’re all reacting to and thinking about the same trending topics. Social media’s nature compels us to align with popular topics, often pushing us to form "topic tribes." We’re expected to have opinions on whatever’s trending, sometimes to the extent that not participating can lead to accusations of not caring or even undermining the interests of others.

As creators on social media, our thinking gets shaped by the format. It’s affecting us in ways that were unimaginable a few years or decades ago. We’re often forced to condense our thoughts into 280-character tweets or 60-second videos, or whatever the trending format may be. Some ideas can’t be adequately expressed in these formats, and yet we try, creating distorted versions of the ideas we wanted to share.

Look at television debates, for example. The format requires antagonism and aggression, even though the topics are often public-interest issues meant to inform. The format twists these topics into something more about entertainment than genuine public enlightenment, leading audiences to anger rather than thoughtful decision-making. Issues like unemployment, healthcare, and education become polarized, and we’re encouraged to view them through a divisive lens.

I left social media because I have ideas that I’ve spent years developing—ideas that don’t fit into 60 seconds. These aren’t concepts best expressed through short-form content meant to be consumed quickly and then forgotten. These ideas need time, attention, and depth, things that social media, with its fragmented attention spans, often works against.

Perhaps some of you can juggle multiple projects simultaneously. I’m not one of those people. I tend to focus on one project at a time, maybe two at most, where one is primary, and the other is secondary. I know people who can maintain a writing routine while running a YouTube channel with regular live streams, but that’s not me. I had to make the choice to step away from social media to reclaim the part of my mind best able to engage with these deeper ideas.

I’m happy to report that this choice has already started to pay off. If you, too, find that social media affects your thinking or ability to focus, maybe take a moment to reflect on this.

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you enjoyed it, you can support my work on Patreon at patreon.com/vimoh. If you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, please consider giving it a five-star rating. And if you’re listening on Substack, there’s a support link at the top of the page for one-time contributions. Your support helps me keep creating content that encourages deeper thinking on topics we don’t often discuss.

I’ll see you next time.

This episode was recorded without a script, transcribed by Substack, and then the transcript was edited and cleaned up by ChatGPT.